As a teen growing up in Ohio, I thought it was the most uncool place in the universe to have to admit I
Going to spend the summers at my aunt's house was a painful reminder of this every year. "This is my cousin," my wise, cosmopolitan, self-confident, cousin Patti would say to her friends upon my arrival, "She's from Cornland." As if this triggered some long-standing New York hazing tradition, reserved exclusively for hicks from the country , I would immediately be circled by a coven of girls with Long Island drawls, loudly demanding that I speak for their amusement. "Say 'arrrange'!" "Say 'cawffee'!" (Holding up a can of Coke): "What is this?" "ORANGE! COFFEE! POP!" I would begrudgingly shout, to the sound of heckling jeers and comments about how funny I tawlked.
As if being a teenager in what I perceived to be "Hickville" wasn't bad enough, Ohio wasn't even very historically interesting. Most of the native people here were relatively peaceful, so no cool stories there. The settlers didn't even really start showing up until the mid 1800's -- that's practically the modern age! No cool battles here, no cool castles, no famous larger than life heroes, no major excitement here! "But Ohio means beautiful river." "Enjoy the scenery!" Whatever! No beach, no mountains, just farms and fields. And corn. Lots of corn.
Hallelujah! Time is on my side and I am not a teenager anymore. For the last few summers, I have tried to spend some time in my state to discover what is historically and visually redeeming about it. To my joy, I have found quite a bit. From the lakes at the top to the mountains and river at the bottom and everything in between, Ohio really does scream "beauty". And historically, well, 1850 is a little further away now that it's 2013 than it was in 1983.
I went to a week-long workshop in Portsmouth earlier this month. I haven't been to Portsmouth in a long time, certainly not since I have been an adult. I had forgotten how tall the landscape was there; how high up in the sky everything went. I commented to another teacher who lived in Portsmouth how astonishing it was that we were still in Ohio. She said, "It's looks a lot different down here in the foothills." That got me thinking that "foothills" really are mountains and what is going on in Portsmouth is the beginning of the Appalachian mountains. Perhaps I should have made that connection after learning that in 7th grade Geography (thanks Mr. Haren) but at that moment, Ohio took on another face for me.
Having spent yet another summer eating my words about my home state, I thought I might share some cool things that Ohio has to offer:
Salt Fork State Park Lodge near Cambridge, Ohio is very family friendly
with tons of outdoor things to do.
Shawnee Lodge near Portsmouth is another option for a fun get away, year-round, but nothing beats Mohican Lodge, just east of Columbus, for the grown-ups!
Lake Erie has historical monuments (Commodore Perry's monument from the Battle of Lake Erie)
AND beaches!
Franklin Park Conservatory has butterflies (left)
Learn more about communing with nature at Inniswood Gardens (right).
In fact, the Columbus and Ohio state parks offer a lot of different environments and activities.
Try the Slate Run Historical Farm for a step back into the past.
Berlin, Ohio (above) is home to beautiful views of changing fall leaves
and TONS of unique shops featuring Amish crafts and local artists.
Hocking Hills has unusual rock formations and ziplining
Who can resist a personal welcome from Smokey the Bear at the Ohio State Fair?
Cool amusement parks like Kings Island and Cedar Point have the greatest rides in the world!
And historically, The Beast (1979) still ranks as the longest, fastest wooden roller coaster.
Indoor Water Parks like the one at Cherry Valley Lodge in Newark keep us busy in the winter.
Let's not forget The Haunted Hoochie! A one of a kind experience!
And, yes, we even have a castle (Loveland Castle, near Cincinnati)
Although we still have tons of corn,
I have come to appreciate the fields of Ohio.
